OAKLAND, Calif. – Red Sox left-hander Drake Britton found out Saturday he was going to the majors, "and it was awesome."

Jackie Bradley Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for him on the 25-man roster.

"I had the biggest smile on my face," Britton said Sunday. "I felt ready. Definitely very excited to get that call."

Britton, 24, has been on the 40-man roster since the 2011 offseason, and Red Sox manager John Farrell said in recent days the club wanted to see Britton at the major league level. He made just one start at Pawtucket, a five-run, 5 1/3-inning performance Tuesday.

Before that, Britton excelled at Double-A Portland: 7-6 with a 3.51 ERA in 16 starts and 17 outings, with 80 strikeouts and 36 walks in 97 1/3 innings. He'll be a reliever with the Sox.

"He comes to us having thrown the ball well of late and looking forward to getting his first out of the way here," Farrell said. "Yeah, for now, yes, (we want to see him for more than just a day). Barring any other changes internally or externally, he'll be here for now."

Britton still has a serious off-the-field matter to settle, however. He was arrested in March on DUI charges and allegedly drove 111 mph in a 45-mph zone near the team's spring-training complex in Fort Myers, Fla. MassLive.com obtained the police video of the arrest.

The arresting officer is heard telling Britton: "You almost hit a car. You didn't go make the turn like you wanted, you drove straight. You drove straight off the road, hit a fence and then drove to where we came to rest here in the middle of a woods."

"It was very tough," Britton said Sunday of the incident. "It was very embarrassing. I'm extremely remorseful for bringing that negative attention not only to myself but to the organization. It was a very big learning experience for me and I've learned a lot. But you know now I'm just concentrating on making things right and back to focusing on baseball."

Britton's most recent court proceeding was scheduled for Friday. That was continued, or rescheduled, for Sept. 6 at the request of the defendant, according to Florida court records. Friday's meeting was intended to be a discussion between the sides in preparation for Britton's potential return to Florida in the event a trial is needed, a spokesperson for the state's attorney's office said previously.

Britton said the Red Sox have been supportive all along. He just wants to focus on baseball.

"Extremely, from day one," Britton said. "From day one I know I disappointed a lot of people, but they've had my back from day one and they've been amazing ever since. I couldn't ask to be a part of a better organization."